The Season of Lent is intended above all to be a season of preparation by prayer and penance for the celebration of The Paschal Mystery of The Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. By embracing the three traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving we turn away from ourselves, from our wants and needs and comforts and focus on another, on God first and foremost and on our neighbor for love of God.

Our gospel for this First Sunday of Lent concludes with this simple, urgent summons “….The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.”